Twenty
original episodes of The Ponderosa aired on Sunday
nights on the PAX network between September 9, 2001 and May 12,
2002. The Ponderosa is a prequel to the classic western
series Bonanza. The Ponderosa takes place
approximately ten years before the first season of Bonanza,
when the California Gold Rush is still young, the famous Comstock
Lode has not yet been discovered, and the mighty Ponderosa ranch
is just a flickering vision. Ben Cartwright (played by Daniel
Hugh Kelly) and his three young sons are ranching a small section
of scrub land near Lake Tahoe in what will become Nevada
Territory. Intelligent, handsome Adam Cartwright (Matthew
Carmody) is 21, gentle giant Erik "Hoss" Cartwright
(Drew Powell) is 17, and spirited "Little Joe"
Cartwright (Jared Daperis) is 12. Ben doesn't have much gray hair
yet, and Hop Sing (Gareth Yuen), the Cartwright family cook and
housekeeper, is younger and calmer. Yet hints of the men they
will become are evident. With the help, and sometimes the
hindrance, of the citizens of the only nearby settlement, a tiny
trading post called Eagle Station, the Cartwrights make a go of
it against the odds, united by an exceptionally strong family
bond as they work together to build the dream seen on Bonanza.
The Ponderosa is executive produced by Beth Sullivan,
the creative force behind Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

The Cartwrights named their land
for the large Ponderosa pine trees that cover much of it. Their
brand is a small pine tree.

Original Bonanza Cartwrights

The Ponderosa Cartwrights

Additional characters
appearing on The Ponderosa include Margaret and Tess
Greene, a mother-daughter duo who own the nearby Greene Valley
ranch; "Big Dan" Larsen, a former trapper and mountain
man now working as a handyman in Eagle Station; Shelby Sterret,
the Calamity Jane-type owner of the local saloon and eatery; Eli
and Ruth Orowitz, a Jewish couple who operate the local general
store; and Jack Wolf, the town "bad guy" who runs a
saloon/hotel/cathouse.

Carlos Rivera De
Vega, a Mexican soldier who grew up on the ranch now run by the
Greenes and who assisted the Cartwrights with the establishment
and building of the Ponderosa; his teenage sister Isabella;
gambler Jack Roberts; Maurice "Frenchy" Devereaux,
owner of the Eagle Station livery and a member of the town
council; and Samuel Newborne, an intelligent escaped slave and
reformed conman; also appeared as recurring characters in the
program's first season.

Canon between Bonanza and The
Ponderosa differs somewhat. For example, Bonanza explains
that Little Joe was born at the ranch, while according to The
Ponderosa the Cartwrights did not acquire the ranch until
Little Joe was around eleven years old. On Bonanza the
Cartwrights were seldom without their gunbelts. On The
Ponderosa they are only occasionally seen with guns. Several
other discrepancies exist. The Ponderosa is best
categorized as a historical drama, while Bonanza was a
western. Many fan fiction stories incorporate themes from both
shows.